After years of planning and building work, Tyneside’s new city centre base opened its doors to the public on Friday.

The Newcastle City Centre Police Station, on Forth Banks, will become the operational base for 600 Northumbria Police officers and staff working in Newcastle and Gateshead, and is the result of three years of building and a £36m investment.

It will now house 24/7 response officers, major crime detectives, and a modern 50-cell custody suite that where detainees from across the area will be held and processed.

However, the state-of-the art facility was opened amid concerns about the closure of cells at Gateshead Police Station.

And the borough’s MP Ian Mearns told the Chronicle that while he was impressed by the new building, he was still worried about how the new policing structure would work in practice.

Mrs Baird said the new building would help forge closer links between the police and public, while Chief Cons Sim promised that officer would not be spending too much time in it.

The Chief Constable said: “We have great premises and a state of the art custody facility here. But rest assured they won’t be enjoying it they will be out on the streets doing the policing we need them to do.

“We have a station here that will be a credit to our community. That’s the most important thing. This will be a fantastic central base for us to police the communities of Gateshead and Newcastle.”

The number of ‘area commands’ is to be reduced from six to three with Newcastle and Gateshead being merged.

And this has resulted in the closure of cells at Gateshead Police Station.

Mr Mearns told the Chronicle he would be keeping a close watch on how his constituency is affected by the changes.

“I think it’s a fantastic facility and I have had discussion with the commissioner and the Chief Constable about the operational issues. I still have concerns about what it means to have no custody cells in Gateshead but I have been told on numerous occasions that there are plans in place to deal with issues like traffic. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We will have to wait and see how it pans out.”

Mrs Baird added: “This station will provide vital support to the officers and staff who deliver the frontline service to our communities in both Newcastle and Gateshead as well as the wider community.

“It will be a good workplace for the police and police staff who for far too long have had to put up with dilapidated facilities. It will be nicer for the public coming here as it’s not always easy to go and talk to the police. This is going to be a more pleasant place for the public to come. I hope we can use this building to encourage the public to get closer to the police.”